Holon is an auditory AR app for city-wide, ubiquitous, interactive music that is powered by listeners’ activity and interactions with the environment. Holon allows you to move around cities and perform synth patches. More than 150 cities are supported, with an updated list available on the Holon website.
Holon can detect your proximity to various amenities, such as benches, bins, post boxes, shops, and cafes, and convert them into musical emitters and modulators. Stops for public transport are also included.
It is most effective when used passively, such as by placing the phone in a pocket. This aids the software’s detection of coupled body movements. The music’s tempo is synchronised with your step rate which may take up to 10 seconds of continuous walking/running to calculate.
Installation
- Install Holon from the Apple App Store.
- Please grant all the requested permissions, the location-based content won’t work otherwise.
- It’s important that you grant the location request “Allow While In Use” or “Always Allow”, when prompted.
- Place phone in a pocket, wear headphones and go outdoors. Since the technology relies on GPS (satellite) coverage, you’ll need to be outside for the app to work.
When not using, turn Holon off to conserve battery (press the big button).
In real time, musical sequences and events are generated from geospatial and environmental data. Directions, time of day, and the position of the Sun/Moon all have an impact on the music in different ways. Cloud cover, for example, can determine the musical scale, whereas activity/speed can trigger notes.
Final Thoughts
Holon is an auditory AR app for city-wide, ubiquitous, interactive music that is powered by listeners’ activity and interactions with the environment. Holon can detect the proximity of amenities such as benches, bins, post boxes, shops, and cafes, and convert them into musical emitters and modulators.
